Finally he gets part of what was coming to him. I'm happy to see him sentenced.
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Life, no parole for Vang

40-year sentence also given for attempted homicide charges

ASSOCIATED PRESS

HAYWARD, Wis. -- A Hmong immigrant convicted of murdering six deer hunters and attempting to kill two others after a dispute over trespassing in northwestern Wisconsin was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday with no chance for parole.

Judge Norman Yackel ordered Chai Soua Vang, 37, to serve six life prison terms, one after the other, guaranteeing he would never be freed from prison. Wisconsin does not have a death penalty.

Yackel described Vang as a ``time bomb ready to go off'' at the slightest provocation.

``These crimes are not isolated acts, but a pattern of anti-social conduct,'' the judge said.

Vang, a truck driver from St. Paul, Minn., was convicted of six counts of first-degree intentional homicide and three counts of attempted homicide in the Nov. 21 slayings on private hunting land south of Hayward.

The homicide charges carry a mandatory sentence of life in prison, but Yackel could have set a parole eligibility date for Vang. The judge also sentenced Vang to three concurrent terms of 40 years in prison on the attempted homicide charges.

A jury deliberated 3-and-a-half hours Sept. 16 before finding Vang guilty following a six-day trial, agreeing with prosecutors that Vang gunned down the hunters in a rampage. Vang testified he shot in self-defense after one hunter angrily shouted profanities at him and used racial slurs before another fired at him.

The murders, on the second day of the gun deer season, rocked the northwoods -- four of the victims were shot in the back, two as they tried to run away and two as they rode out an all-terrain vehicle to help. All but one were unarmed.

The slayings also exposed racial tension between the predominantly white northwoods and Hmong people who have immigrated to the Midwest.

Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager sought the maximum sentence for Vang, a father of seven children. She argued Vang would kill again unless he was locked up for the rest of his life, given his ``explosive temperament'' and lack of true remorse or regret.

According to trial testimony, Vang said he got lost, went into a tree stand on the private land and was asked by another hunter, Terry Willers, to leave. Vang said he apologized and started walking away.

Other companions of Willers arrived, and there was an angry verbal confrontation and threats to report Vang to game wardens for trespassing.

Vang testified the white hunters used racial slurs and profanity before Willers fired the first shot as Vang walked away.

Willers and the other wounded hunter, Lauren Hesebeck, said no one in their group pointed a gun at Vang before he opened fire.

Willers and Hesebeck indicated only one shot was fired at Vang -- by Hesebeck, who was already wounded and some of his friends lay mortally wounded on the ground.

Vang was convicted of killing Robert Crotteau, his son Joey Crotteau, Denny Drew, Allan Laski, Jessica Willers and Mark Roidt, all from the Rice Lake area. All were relatives and friends who gathered to hunt from the Crotteaus' cabin near Exeland.

Yackel also sentenced Vang to 40 years in prison for the attempted homicide charges.

Victims who died as a result of the shootings included:

Robert Crotteau, 42, who owned a concrete construction business in Rice Lake. He was shot once in the back.

Joey Crotteau, 20, Robert Crotteau's son who was a partner in the concrete business. He was shot four times in the back or side.

Denny Drew, 55, a car salesman in Rice Lake. He was shot once in the lower chest.

Allan Laski, 43, the manager of a Rice Lake area lumber yard. He was shot three times in the back.

Mark Roidt, 28, a friend of the Drew family who worked on a race-car pit crew with Drew. He was shot once in the head.

Jessica Willers, 27, a nurse from Rice Lake who had moved to Green Bay. She was engaged. She was shot twice in the back.

The wounded were:

Lauren Hesebeck, 48, a manager at Link Brothers Ford in Rice Lake. Drew was his brother-in-law. He was shot in the shoulder.

Terry Willers, 47, the father of Jessica Willers. He worked in the Crotteaus' concrete business. He was shot in the neck.

Yeah but you guys are lucky, a murderer here would be lucky to get 10 years even then they usually only serve a third of there sentence. And in prison they get treated amazingly well and if they dont the greenies get upset about "human rights" and the murderer can sue for compensation. To me when a violent criminal chooses to take away an innocent persons life or violates that persons rights, they inturn give up there own rights and should be delt to severly.

We just let them out early and give them welfare so they can breed. The more kids they have, the more welfare they get. Although this countries not a country extremly rife with crime yet, in 25 years it will be if we continue to head down this path of increasing welfare socialism.

Just remember how lucky you guys are and Mr Bush sir when youve finished your job as president there you're most welcome to be our minister of police and justice here!

You know that really puts it in perspective when people from other countries are praising our president. He might not be the smartest fella in the world but there hasn't been to many others that have gone through all of the stuff he has had to handle. And I think that we should ship that guy down to texas. We know what happens down there. The right thing.

He got what he deserved. Unfortunatly our taxes go to keep him alive. My buddy was heading up to the area where that incident took place to go deer hunting that same morning. The cops turned him around. He was lucky he wasn't up there a few hours earlier!

Yea that guy had it comin. We gun-hunt about 10 miles away from where it happened last year.........we could heard the sherrifs on their megaphones telling people to get out of the woods. But why waste the taxpayers money havin in him jail.........he even said "at least i dont have to pay taxes and child support now"..........he is not right in the head! I think they should either put him in a brown carhart suit and glue some antlers on his head and let him loose in some public hunting land.......or make him hold up a sign saying "im chai vang" and then let him run loose in a marsh or cornfield...........he get shot within his first 100 steps either way.

"And there came a voice to him, 'Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.' " - Acts 10:13

maddiedog wrote:You know that really puts it in perspective when people from other countries are praising our president.

Unfortunatly most dont. Most of our news media potrays an image that bush is all thats wrong with the world. Much like alot of your media. Some faction group in suddan commits mass genocide yet Bush not speaking a sentence properly makes a bigger article in the news paper. Whats up with that? Sorry, back to the thread Youve got some good sentencing over there as well as a much better police force. Ours dont carry guns and because they are under resoursed are unable to investigate alot of crimes.

um i do sometimes... like at my uncles where there really isnt a shot over 40 yards within view of my treestand... everything is so close, i dont dare use my scoped ruger, and i sold my 30-30 a few years ago....but i dont use my 30 round clip with it...

Remington1187 wrote:Yea that guy had it comin. We gun-hunt about 10 miles away from where it happened last year.........we could heard the sherrifs on their megaphones telling people to get out of the woods. But why waste the taxpayers money havin in him jail.........he even said "at least i dont have to pay taxes and child support now"..........he is not right in the head! I think they should either put him in a brown carhart suit and glue some antlers on his head and let him loose in some public hunting land.......or make him hold up a sign saying "im chai vang" and then let him run loose in a marsh or cornfield...........he get shot within his first 100 steps either way.

No No No, put him in the same cell as Micheal Jackson! :getdown: (dont drop the soap!)

The group ended up with 420 birds.

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When I think about a deer camp being wiped about. I think aboutmy deer camp. I can not even imagine what the poor people were going through seeing their relatives gunned down and then seeing the sights turned on them. Who gives a damn what they said to provoke him and even if they did fire the first shot, six innocent people were murdered, and everytime somebody close to you dies, a part of you dies wiht them. God be with the families of all of these people and help them put their lives back together. I read the names and the profiles of those killed, and it breaks my heart. Those two survivors might as well have been killed, think about the trauma that they will deal with for the rest of their lives watching that scene unfold while they were on the ground helpless. Jeez. I'm off for the night, I can't stand this stuff.

puddlejumper is absolutely right. Thinking about it thoroughly like that puts it in the proper perspective. & it illustrates why more states should have the death penalty. Indeed we suffer when one among us dies naturally; we mourn. But when someone evil - yes, I said evil - takes a life, it seems to hurt still more. To take an innocent life like those without cause - murder - is to play judge, jury, & executioner. In short, one is playing God. If someone has chosen evil to that extent, then he should receive just recompense. No, Vang may no longer have to pay child support. But Wisconsin's citizens will have to support him for God knows how long.
In my version of Christianity, we are judged by The Architect twice - individually & generally. We'd generally better shape up. Our stewardship of God's world is sorely lacking. I know that I'm preaching. Just hate to see less than full justice.

But I believe that Christ's urging to turn the other cheek does not restrain us. This was His reaffirmation of the old Jewish custom of forgiveness for everyday transgressions - insults, petty theft, rudeness, "white lies"; the everyday garbage that even we must endure. Many of the Pharisees were upping the ante on these minor things. Christ was simply urging us to "think twice". Recalling also that He said " I came not to change the law, but to fulfill it," I don't think that He intended the individual or society at large to be a doormat for evildoers. That's why I as a Christian unabashedly own guns, & will use them against evildoers who threaten my life or the lives of my loved ones. Just my .02.